The lily of the field is in its prime on the Mediterranean Beds.
This member of the daffodil family (Amaryllidaceae), Sternbergia lutea, has two ranks of three petalloid tepals, and six stamens, which are common features of members of this family. Commonly referred to as lily of the field, it also called the autumn daffodil, though lacks the corona that many daffodils have, and is more reminiscent of the crocus. Occurring from the Mediterranean to western and central Asia, this species thrives in poor, free-draining, calcareous soils. If these conditions are replicated in the garden it will produce brilliant yellow flowers, which nestle amidst slender, glossy, bright green foliage, which reaches no more than 30 cm in height. The genus commemorates the botanist Count Kaspar Moritz von Sternberg of Prague (1761 – 1838), and the specific name lutea means yellow.